Is the Gaurav Yatra BJP’s answer to Congress’ Bharat Jodo?

As the Congress and Rahul Gandhi traverse through India as part of their Bharat Jodo Yatra (the Gandhi scion is currently in Bommagondanahalli, Chitradurga in Karnataka), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched its own Gaurav Yatra in Gujarat on Wednesday.

The Gaurav Yatra — consisting of five different routes — will end after 10 days, covering 5,734 km and canvassing 144 of the 182 Assembly constituencies that will go to the polls later this year.

All about the Gaurav Yatra

On Wednesday, BJP chief JP Nadda launched the Gaurav Yatra from the temple town of Bahucharaji in Mehsana. This is one of the five different routes that will that will cover different parts of Gujarat.

જનજનનો અભૂતપૂર્વ આવકાર
ભરોસાની ભાજપ સરકાર #GujaratGauravYatra#BJP4Gujarat#ભરોસાની_ભાજપ_સરકાર pic.twitter.com/52FELKwyba

— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) October 12, 2022

The BJP said that the Gaurav Yatra would cover 144 of the total 182 Assembly constituencies and that its leaders and members would hold 145 public meetings en route over the next 10 days.

The five routes for the yatra have been outlined as:

>> Bahucharaji in Mehsana district to Mata to Madhh in Kutch district
>> Dwarka to Porbandar
>> Zanzaraka of Ahmedabad district to Somnath of Gir-Somnath district
>> Unai in Navsari district of south Gujarat to Fagvel in Kheda district of central Gujarat
>> Unai to Ambaji in North Gujarat

Of these, the Unai to Ambaji route is the longest, covering almost 490 km in the eastern stretch of the state, where the tribal districts are concentrated. A substantial part of another route, from Unai to Fagvel, will also cover parts of the tribal belt.

Besides JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah is also participating in the Gaurav Yatra and, in fact, will inaugurate the yatra on three routes — one from Sant Savaiyanath temple at Zanzarka village in Ahmedabad district and the other two routes will be from Unai Mata temple in Vansda taluka of Navsari district.

'અંત્યોદયથી સર્વોદયના સંકલ્પ સાથે આગળ વધતો ભાજપનો વિકાસરથ'

ઝાંઝરકા ખાતે માનનીય કેન્દ્રીય ગૃહ અને સહકાર મંત્રી શ્રી @AmitShah જી એ જંગી જાહેરસભાને સંબોધી તેમજ ગુજરાત ગૌરવ યાત્રાના 'ઝાંઝરકાથી સોમનાથ'ના રુટનું પ્રસ્થાન કરાવ્યું. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/AV1UzhYAat

— BJP Gujarat (@BJP4Gujarat) October 13, 2022

Other ministers such as Bhupender Yadav, Piyush Goyal, Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala, Anurag Thakur, Gajendra Shekhawat, Sarbanand Sonowal, Hardeep Puri, Prahlad Joshi, Dharmendra Pradhan, Sanjiv Balyan, Raosaheb Danve will also be seen participating in the yatra. Besides these big names, state leaders such as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, state BJP chief CR Paatil and former deputy chief minister Nitin Patel will also partake in the Gaurav Yatra.

Aim of the yatra

At the launch of the Gaurav Yatra from Bahucharaji, Nadda said that the yatra is not restricted to BJP or Gujarat but will establish the “pride” of India.

“It is not the ‘Gaurav Yatra’ of BJP or Gujarat but the one to establish India’s pride. This yatra is the story of a journey from Gujarat to India,” Nadda said.

He accused the Congress of halting development and said the party was “stuck and lost”. As per a PTI news report, Nadda said, “They (Congress) made brothers and regions fight among themselves. They did not supply water where it was needed. They halted and diverted the journey of development... Now they are themselves stuck and lost.”

The yatra is BJP’s clarion call ahead of the Gujarat Assembly and an endeavour by the party to reach out to its voter base and reconnect with them.

The BJP leaders will speak about the “development journey” of Gujarat under the BJP rule and list out its achievements such as the construction of the world’s biggest statue (Statue of Unity) and the Sabarmati riverfront, provision of 24X7 electricity, as well as other infrastructure development and projects.

A party leader told the Indian Express, “The purpose of the yatra is to activate party workers and prepare for campaigning once the elections are notified.”

Many pollsters and pundits also note that the yatra is the BJP’s attempt to reach out to the tribal voters of Gujarat. In fact while addressing the public during the march in Dwarka, Nadda said, “The yatra will be dedicated to our tribal brothers.” He said the journey will be taken while remembering Birsa Munda, a tribal freedom fighter, and the work tribal have for the country.

गौरव यात्रा की तरह कल तीन स्थानों से और यात्राएं शरू होंगी,

एक यात्रा हमारे आदिवासी भाइयों को समर्पित होगी,

भगवान बिरसा मुंडा को याद करते हुए, आदिवासियों के गौरव के लिए और आदिवासियों ने देश के गौरव के लिए जो काम किया है, उस गाथा को लेकर यात्रा निकलेगी।

- श्री @JPNadda pic.twitter.com/DSiUfk3OfS

— BJP (@BJP4India) October 12, 2022

Interestingly, the BJP had won only nine of the 27 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST). The Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) had won two, and the rest had gone to the Congress. With the Gaurav Yatra, the BJP hopes to break this sway that the Congress has in the state.

The BJP is hoping to better its 2017 results; the saffron party had bagged 99 of the 182 Assembly seats, while the Congress had shocked many and won in 77 seats. The BJP is hopeful that the Gaurav Yatra will boost their chances at the polls and also compete with the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra in the matter of optics.

Past Gaurav Yatras

This is the third time the BJP is holding a Gaurav Yatra in the state. The first such rally was taken out by then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in 2002 before the Assembly elections.

Launched from Fagvel in Kheda, it came about after the communal clashes that rocked the state. It was held for 11 weeks.

The second Gaurav Yatra was organised in 2017 ahead of that year’s state polls.

With inputs from agencies

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